Around the AFC West: Chiefs clinch playoffs, Raiders survive Jets
By Ellen Mathis
Let’s travel around the AFC West as the Chiefs secure a playoff berth, the Raiders survive, and the Broncos and Chargers lose yet again.
This week was such a strange week of football. Reflecting on the scores that we saw this week, I just sit back and think it was weird. Who saw the Giants beating the Seahawks? The Chargers couldn’t score a single point with all their talent? The Jets really tried to jeopardize their shot at Trevor Lawrence by beating the Raiders? The Browns blew out the Titans?
I just don’t know; football is strange. So let’s look at the weird week for the AFC West…
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders were looking to bounce back in Week 13 after a humiliating loss to the Atlanta Falcons that bumped them out of a playoff wildcard spot and into “the hunt.” This was supposed to be a get-right game against the winless Jets as they tanked for Trevor. Maybe it was the fact that Derek Carr just welcomed a new baby or the fact that the Jets players don’t want to go winless, but this was anything but a cakewalk.
The game was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Raiders down 4 points with just seconds left on the clock. What followed was a colossal failure on the defensive side of the ball by the Jets.
I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but watch this and tell me the #Jets weren’t trying to lose this game.
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) December 6, 2020
Cover 0, with 13 seconds left & you spy Derek Carr like he’s Mike Vick in his prime?? pic.twitter.com/FR53RF1sxU
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams decided to call for no deep help when the only thing the Raiders needed was a touchdown. Derek Carr said a prayer and chucked the ball down the field to a deep Henry Ruggs who had beat his defender. Ruggs completed the 46-yard catch and waltzed into the end zone to give the Raiders the win and keep them in the hunt for a playoff spot.
The Raiders were without both running back Josh Jacobs and safety Johnathan Abram—Jacobs with an ankle injury and Abram with a knee injury. The Raiders also saw Damon Arnette, their rookie cornerback, leave the game early with a concussion. All three will be necessary as they enter the final stretch of the season hoping for a postseason berth.
Next week, the Raiders host the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts, also vying for the playoffs, have a tough defense—much tougher than the winless Jets—and are coming off a close win against the Houston Texans. Divisional games are always tricky, so the fact that the Texans win was close is something that I can overlook. The Colts are one of those sneaky teams that you can easily forget about. I don’t think the Raiders have the ability to overtake them, especially because the Colts need to win.
Game time is Sunday at 3:05 p.m.